skej21

I'm only in a covers band for the half-time bingo... Do I qualify?

Get an Allen Woody Rumblekat... It's an Epiphone Custom Shop model and it kicks the arse off every other short-scale I've ever played or seen. Less than £300, great mini humbucker pickups, beautiful finish and is the essense of 'vintage vibe'...

My Harvest gig bag has a hanging hook. Amazing gig bag and IMO, as good as Mono cases but better looking

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1361130845' post='1981602'] But there isn't anything substantially different between the export/non-export models, right? It's just an "admin decision" by Fender to make certain basses from certain manufacturers available in some areas and not othe rs, isn't it? How does one find out from the serial number? Mine is P001099, CIJ. So I'm guessing that makes it a 2000 model, but other than that, no idea. [/quote] You're right, there are no substantial differences other than the export instruments are basically the ones that the Japanese chose not to keep, so logic would make you think they kept the best examples for themselves. Personally, I've played a number of export Japanese guitars/basses and they were all very good and were a much higher build quality than the US equivalents, whilst using the same components. I think the non-exports tend to have a slightly better build quality and nicer detailing (nicer wood grains for bodies and necks) which is probably again, a result of the Japanese selection the better specimens to keep for themselves! I'd also guess that yours is a non-export model. Fender only export instruments from Japan if there is not a US equivalent (ie, a '62 RI telecaster) and even then, they restrict the units. This is because they don't want the market flooded with cheaper alternatives that offer the consumer a better instrument (to the US equivalent). Therefore, it's unlikely that a '75 RI Jazz such as yours would be an export model as Fender (at the time it was made) offered the MIA '75 RI as a production model. Hope this helps

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1361096063' post='1980867'] how do you know what is "non-export"? I bought one that was advertised as "non-export", but have no idea (or care, really, just curious) about it. Mine has the 60s spacing. I paid £650 for it and it had been modified: badass bridge (original gone) and Nordstrand NJ4SE pickups (original, which turned out to be USA pickups) were also included. I don't care about the badass and soon I will replace it. The Nordtrands are great if not very Jazzy, so they stay. I used the original pickups in another bass and they are VERY nice. [/quote] There are a number of indicators that tell you if it's export or non-export. Quickest is usually running the serial number. As for the original pickups being USA, that's correct as Japanese fenders use US parts (ie pickups, bodies, scratchplates, hardware etc).

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1361035148' post='1980159'] +1 for The Bass Doc. If you send him your original pg, he will make a replacement to your specs that will fit perfectly. [/quote] Huge +1. I just picked up a 'plate from Howard on Friday and it fit perfectly. VERY good quality material that he uses too.

I dont know if this will help you but I bought my early (1985) non-export MIJ '75 RI (Ash body, rosewood fingerboard with pearloid block inlays, cream binding, black 'plate & pickup/bridge covers) two months ago and got it for £680 (including P&P).

[quote name='Stacker' timestamp='1360649643' post='1973911'] Let's say you buy something from the Eurozone via ebay and it's not what you thought it was, or that the description wasn't precise. You now want to send this back and notice that the seller will only refund you the basic cost of the item, charging you both for initial shipping and return shipping. Discuss. [/quote] With distance selling you have a short period in which to return the item if it is it unsatisfactory. As for shipping, you paid to have the item shipped and it arrived safely. Why should you be refunded for a service that you HAVE used and had no problem with? Also, most refunds are given on a 'return-to-dealer' basis and therefore it is your responsibility to get the item back it you want your refund and as a result, most companies/individuals will make sure you will be responsible for the costs incurred. Whilst you may feel this is harsh, the seller has probably paid out for PayPal fees and sellers fees for the sale of the item and won't want to pay more to refund your shipping both ways too. I'm not saying I agree with that but I can see why it would happen and unfortunately for you, (unless I've missed it) ebay doesn't require the seller to refund postage costs.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1360488385' post='1971004'] Yeah, but what I'm saying though is that I think it is a bit annoying when people mark their things as "SOLD" and then delete all of the details ..... like the price and the description. As you may have guessed, I didn't actually sell anything - just commenting on other dudes practices. It's quite interesting to see what was up for sale and, although we will never know the exact details of the sale, we can get feel for the market. I think there should be a compulsory penalty of having your bum kicked in by a mod for doing that. [/quote] What happens if you sold something at a stupidly low price because of personal financial issues and feel it would be unfair for that to set a precedent for a similar item and mean that some other dude can't sell his for whats it's worth because the buyer expects it to go for the same amount as the super low price? Surely then you're within your rights as a seller to remove the info and protect the price of an item for future sellers?

Great bass. Mine is amazing and the playability is second to none IMO. However, the one thing I would say is that the pickups aren't like your standard jazz pickups. They tend to be a bit more responsive/geared towards an aggressive attack or playing style, which is perfect for that 'Geddy' tone (particularly at the bridge). Its also great for that classic 'growl' but I find it difficult to get a less defined, bass-heavy tone from mine from just the pickups alone. Luckily my outboard preamp gives me that option but if you dont have one, its something you might want to consider. Definitely get one. Its the ONLY bass ive ever kept and wouldnt get rid of. ive had mine since 2005, done hundreds of gigs with it and its great. Its not going anywhere. They are worth every penny (although all of my experience is with the CIJ models)

I use my iPad for music in PDF form too. It's great! I have this in my pedal board too... Really useful! http://airturn.com/

Sorry for hijacking the OP's thread but im in the EXACT same boat... I tried contacting the Oracle (Bass Doc) but no response. I've gone through two, one from WD which was dreadful and the other from a different parts place that was as bad. I'm happy to pay for a custom cut if someone could point me in the right direction? I have the original for use as a template too.

The biggest difference is that the Fender SKB cases (this new one for the 2012 US standards and the older one) are fitted with TSA approved locks. These are a requirement when travelling to/from the US as they have a master key and can be opened, inspected and locked again during transit. They (TSA) are well within their rights to smash and open any other baggage locks to inspect if they feel they need to (and have done!) so I imagine Fender fitted these locks to avoid cases being broken as they export their products out of the US. Great cases and as secure/sturdy as Hiscox IMO.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1358481596' post='1940067'] Very true and a wise analysis. Though I don't imagine that the BGM guys get to go to the sort of 'industry parties' where the champagne magnums go pop and oiled Brazilian transexuals ram industrial quantities of primo grade charlie up the guests' noses. [/quote] You've obviously never been to Musikmesse then

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1358438059' post='1939161'] Are you being serious? [/quote] Haha no. Sarcasm obviously isn't as easy to detect in text as the blatant mistakes in BGM!

They were asking for trouble really. Creating a magazine for bass fan boys who love nothing more than correcting other bass player's bass knowledge and hours of staring at tiny details on spec sheets. They were always going to be faced with pedantry of this kind regarding the magazine!

I always prefer a Prazz neck but have played a couple of Jacision necks and they were great too.

[quote name='Etienne' timestamp='1357936717' post='1930918'] In the interests of disclosure, I should mention that I'm currently selling one of these! The quality of these is very good at the price point IMO- I handle and work on Korean-made guitars and basses on a daily basis in my job, and the quality is comparable with instruments selling at twice the RRP of this. I'm selling mine purely because the neck + middle pickup arrangement doesn't really gel with the tone that I want to achieve, and I have too many instruments anyway! The short-scale makes this effortless to get around on, and the neck has a nice comfortable profile (narrower width than a P-bass, slightly deeper than a Jazz). The short scale means that it balances well on a strap, despite the body shape and the light weight of the instrument. I think I'm just a died-in-the-wool Fenderhead when all's said and done, despite my attempts to branch out... Hope that helps! [/quote] Yes and no lol. The idea of this is to branch out from Fender again (as I too am a Fenderhead!) and fear I may be buying it and selling it in a few months because I can't get on with it. I've played one of these for a few hours today and totally agree that quality is exceptional and a steal at under £300. I also feel it will be a good bass for my students who sometimes cant bring their instruments to lessons and won't be getting their hands on my Fenders and for just picking up 'round the house without fear of dinging it on the door handle etc Hmmm. Might have to flip a coin at this rate lol!

I'm looking at buying this bass (for a number of reasons) but just wondered what people think of them (preferably people who have owned one!)? There doesn't seem to be much info about them on the forum and I basically need some reviews either way about long term suitability. I've noticed that a few people on here have sold them on, so I'm also wondering if this is because of quality, practicality/comfort (due to the short scale) or just falling out if love with it? Thanks in advance for the inevitable wealth of good advice!

Kudos to the OP... My memory skills used to be pretty damn good before I learned to read dots. Now my memory sucks because I notate stuff to help me remember it. We both get it out on the bass though, so we just have totally different ways of being a musician IMO!

Sold a Squier VM jazz to Shabbs and the payment was sent easily and quickly. Great communication and a pleasure to deal with. Don't hesitate in dealing with Shabbs... One of the many good basschatters out there!

I have three basses and all of them are passive but I always run them through my aguilar tone hammer outboard preamp. Get the added tone options of a preamp without the temptation to fiddle for every song. Ideal for me.

My dad used to listen to lots of Queen and The Housemartins, so John Deacon and Norman Cook for me.

Totally agree. Still a great portal to buy and sell but makes it much more difficult to casually drop in on an item and view potential interested parties, questions asked/answered about the item and price drops etc. more efficient but more clinical IMO.